Cougars build an early lead in easy victory

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Downingtown East easily defeated Hollidaysburg, 3-0, in yesterday's PIAA Class AAA girls' soccer state quarterfinal at Chambersburg's Trojan Stadium.

The victory advanced the Cougars (15-4-5) to their first state semifinal appearance in the school's five-year history. Downingtown East will face Conestoga Tuesday at a neutral site.

"This feels absolutely amazing," the Cougars' Maggie Mottola said of the milestone. "We are the only team practicing still. We have the field all to ourselves. It's a good feeling."

"This is awesome," East's Biz Matta added. "We came out like we had something to prove, like we deserved to be here."

That wasn't a good sign for the Tigers (21-5).

Playing inspired soccer, the Cougars flat-out dominated their opponents. Downingtown East gained a commanding, two-goal cushion by the 14th minute. The Cougars finished with an 11-1 shots-on-goal advantage. Even that was a bit misleading. Hollidaysburg's lone shot attempt came in the 55th minute against reserves.

"We were pretty confident coming in," said Mottola, whose squad is ranked fourth in Southeastern Pennsylvania by The Inquirer. "We were playing really strong. We were practicing really strong. We knew we were going to win."

Hollidaysburg may have had a similar feeling in the first 14 minutes.

The Cougars' first goal came when Matta tapped the ball in from 3 yards out in the second minute. Then, in the 14th minute, Mottola converted a direct kick from the 20-yard line to give East a two-goal advantage.

"We wanted to attack and set the pace of the game," Matta said. "We wanted to come out strong."

Hollidaysburg0 0 - 0

Downingtown East2 1 - 3

Goals: DE–Biz Matta, Maggie Mottola, Melissa Hummel.

Saves: H–Beth Kanski 9; DE–Klare Lazor 1.